


Hear No Evil

by ApolloLoki97



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: ASL, Deaf Reader, Gen, Negan is an automatic warning, Reader Insert, Season 7 walking dead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:01:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25409605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ApolloLoki97/pseuds/ApolloLoki97
Summary: You are deaf in the apocalypse and you are working on your tech when Negan and Carl pay you a visit. Negan takes a bit of interest in you, but you could care less and just gives him what he needs and ignores everything else. However, it seems he kind of likes it.
Relationships: Negan & Reader, Negan & You
Kudos: 38





	Hear No Evil

**Author's Note:**

> I am not deaf myself, but i have a good friend who is and helped me out with this one. This is just something I wrote while I was waiting for my dinner to cook. not my favourite, but here we are. There probably won’t be a second part.

You were bent over an old sprinkler timer in your makeshift workshop in your garage.

You were trying to figure out a way to re-purpose the device to be a light timer so those on guard wouldn’t need to manually turn on the spotlights while on late-night watches. Michonne had mentioned the Governor having something similar at Woodbury and so when you brought the idea to Rick, he trusted you to be the one to figure it all out. 

Lately, Rick had been giving you more and more tasks that appealed to the skills you had acquired before the Apocalypse. Having a Masters in Engineering was something that you took a lot of pride in and you were definitely a coveted member of Alexandria because of it. Sure, there were people like Daryl and Rosita who knew their way around mechanics and weaponry, but you were well-skilled in all aspects of your field. You could fix an engine, rewire a house, and even tune-up the solar panels all before a lunch break. It was something that had made you quite essential in the new world.

However, while you were an asset, you still had to be careful around new people Alexandria would bring in out work with. Being born deaf was not something you expected to ever be a challenge until the Dead began walking. You had gone through extensive speech therapy as a child and well into your late teens. You were fluent in sign language and could read lips. Your cochlear implant worked very well, that is until your battery was damaged in a walker attack four months prior and your world was completely silent since. It wasn’t the end of the world, but it was frustrating and you just had to be even more vigilant on runs. 

When you had met Rick shortly after his group had been run off the Greene family farm, the former sheriff was surprised that you were even alive. He doubted you for a long time when you joined their group. Rick was always worried that you wouldn’t hear when Walkers were around or that you would be too much of a risk on runs, but every time they had run into trouble, you had proved him wrong. 

You were an excellent shot, not to mention you were a wizard when it came to improvised technology. You had managed to set up a night vision camera when they waited out the cannibals from Terminus. That alone had saved Michonne’s life when one had tried to sneak up on her. After that, Rick didn’t question you again.

Then, when you returned home after a run with Sasha and your hearing was once again gone completely, Rick had slipped back into old habits. You were essentially on desk duty now. The only action you had seen since being at the Alexandria Safe Zone was when you had helped dispatch the Wolves and protected Tara and Denise as they worked to save Carl the night the herd invaded the town. Since then, it had been all wires and buttons for you.

You hadn’t held any of that against Rick, but when Maggie was sick and they were ambushed by the Saviors, you were furious. Your father had been a sniper. You knew how to move silently and how to handle yourself. You knew that they had been outnumbered the night the man known as Negan had smashed in Glenn and Abraham’s heads. There was no way any of them could have fought off all the Saviors, but you couldn’t help but think if you had been nearby with your rifle, you could have at least killed a few. Maybe even Negan himself. 

However, you didn’t really know what to think about the man with the baseball bat. You hadn’t seen him and you didn’t know him. What you did know was that he was a murderer who killed two people you cared about and the others were terrified of him. The only thought that kept you going through this new reality of being under the Sanctuary’s thumb was that before they met Negan, Rick Grimes was the one everyone was scared of. 

You still believed that was true. 

You blinked a few times, trying to refocus on your work when a vibration rattled your desk, gaining your attention. You turned towards the open garage door to see Carl Grimes set down a wrench he had used to knock against the pipes. He waved at you with a warning look in his eye. You nodded to him and then noticed the large man looming behind the teenager. He was tall with broad shoulders and a scruffy beard. His height alone was intimidating, but the way he carried himself reminded you of horrid men you had met on the road and it sent a chill down your spine. 

Though, it was what was in his hand that made you freeze. A baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire hung loosely in his grip. Your jaw tightened as you slowly stood from your stool, dropping your work completely and raising your hands in front of you. Looking back to Carl, you placed your fingertips to your temple and then pulled it away, folding down your three center fingers. The sign for “why?” 

“(Y/N),” Carl began, signing as he spoke. “The Saviors are here for a pickup,” he explained. Negan was watching Carl’s hands in confusion before it clicked and you nearly gagged at the smile of pleasure that appeared on the killer’s face. 

“What do you want?” you said, hoping your voice wasn’t too scratchy today. You hadn’t spoken in a few days. Most of your original group knew enough ASL to talk to you. Daryl, Carl, and Rick were near fluent and Michonne and Maggie were the next best. The only other person who had been nearly as perfect as you were was Beth who had a deaf best friend growing up. Days like these were when you missed the younger Greene sister the most. 

“Do you have those extra walkie batteries?” Carl asked. you looked between Carl and Negan, your hands clenching. you wanted to yell at Carl, send your hands flying faster than he would probably understand, but you knew it was unwise to show too much emotion in front of Negan. Last thing you wanted to do was fuel his rage or whatever he was exuding at the moment. So you sighed and walked to the other side of your workshop. Carl waited by the door, but Negan made his way around the garage, picking up odds and ends. You kept him in your view from the corner of your eye, making sure he didn’t break anything too valuable.

Hauling a box from behind a half-finished motorcycle you were working on for Jesus, you dug around for what Carl had asked for. You drew four spare batteries and kicked the box back into its crevice. You marched over to the kid and nearly slammed the batteries into his chest. “Anything else?” you asked. 

Negan then appeared once again. His back was turned to you, so you missed what he said, but Carl sighed and slipped the batteries into his bag so he could get his hands free. He then gestured to you. “(Y/N), this is N-E-G-A-N,” he fingered spelled, “Negan this is (Y/N),” he introduced gesturing to Negan once again. “She’s our engineer.” Negan then fully turned to you and appraised her. 

“A deaf engineer? There’s a joke in there somewhere,” he said with a twisted smile. You gritted your teeth.

“Funny,” you quipped, “is that why you interrupted my work, to make stupid jokes that I’ve heard my whole life?” Negan seemed surprised at your answer. He narrowed his eyes at you and then looked back to Carl. 

“She can read lips,” Carl explained and Negan almost looked impressed. 

“So, you can spy on conversations from a long ways away?” Negan asked, nearly vibrating with excitement. you crossed your arms, sitting into one hip. 

“I’m deaf, not superhuman,” you said, “now if that’s all, I need to finish my work.” Carl went to leave when Negan rested a hand on the kid’s shoulder, halting him. 

“Well, it looks like someone has already made their mind up about me, hey, kid?” Negan said, still grinning at you. 

“That tends to happen when you murder my friends,” you said, not backing down. Negan laughed and ran a hand over his face. 

“You know what? I like you,” Negan said. 

“Oh great, lucky me,” you said as you turned your back on both of them. Negan went to say something else until he realized it would be futile. You picked up your jacket and slung it around your shoulders. When you turned back to Carl he was looking at you with worry as he usually did when he could tell you were getting pissed. You then hooked your finger toward him in a question mark and then tapped your thumb to your forehead, your palm splayed wide. Dad? 

“He’s with Judith, Olivia had to go help pack up the pantry,” Carl said.

“Thanks,” you said as you moved past the two men who had invaded your space. However, Negan wasn’t done and grabbed your arm. Carl went to stop him when you nearly jumped back three feet, snatching back your arm, your eyes wide and alarmed. Carl was infront of you in a second, explaining that you were okay, not bothering to speak, only moving his hands. You tracked the signs and calmed down slightly. Carl then turned to look at a surprised Negan, keeping his hands visible to you. 

“Grabbing deaf people when they’re not expecting it while living in a world where the Dead walk around trying to eat people isn’t the most comfortable thing,” Carl explained, but it didn’t matter because you were already heading away from them, your hand on your knife. Carl watched as you sped towards his house, looking for Rick. 

“So she actually can’t hear,” Negan said, surprised. Carl looked at him, his one eyes narrowed. 

“You thought she was faking it?”

“She has the implant,” Negan said, gesturing to his own head. 

“Her battery got damaged a few months back. She could hear pretty well from the day I met her until it got broken. We haven’t been able to find a replacement for it yet. That also means she’s not the friendliest of people right now, especially to strangers.”

“I don’t blame her,” Negan grinned, “but you know what? I like her!”


End file.
